Quality-of-life determinants in secondary school students with pityriasis versicolor

Background: there is a high prevalence of pityriasis versicolor (pv), a chronic superficial fungal infection, among teenagers and young adults living in the tropics. the factors that could impact their quality of life have not been fully evaluated. objective: to assess the clinical variables adversely affecting the health-related quality of life of students with clinical evidence of pv. patients and methods: a cross-sectional study of consecutively recruited students with pv from seniorsecondary schools in abuja, nigeria. the quality of life was determined using the children’s dermatology life quality index (cdlqi). statistical analysis was performed with unpaired independent student’s t-test and x²-test and spearman’s rank correlation as appropriate. results: the overall mean cdlqi score (maximum 30) among the students was 7.39 (95% confidence interval 6.73–8.06), suggesting a moderate effect on the health-related quality of life (~25% impairment). significant differences were observed within the age of students, the number of episodes of pv infections, the presence of a family member with pv, the number of body regions affected (extent of distribution), and the presence of associated symptoms of pruritus or dysesthesia. leisure and symptoms/ feeling subscales of the cdlqi were mostly impaired. conclusion: pv impacts the quality of life negatively, particularly among teenagers. like most skin disorders, pv affects the psychosocial well-being of affected individuals, leading to personal feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, embarrassment, and shame.